
Media Contact
Jennifer French Giarratano
Public Relations Manager
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
jgiarratano@gsu.edu
ATLANTA – Cathy Yang Liu has been named chair of the Department of Public Management & Policy. Liu, a professor of public policy, assumed the role in July.
She succeeds Greg Lewis, who served as chair of the department from 2012 until 2019.
Liu joined Georgia State University in 2008 as an assistant professor of public management and policy after receiving her Ph.D. from the Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. She then served as associate professor from 2014 until this year.
“I truly appreciate the trust and confidence that the school and the department placed in me to take on this leadership role in public management and policy,” said Liu. “Our undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs offer highly ranked specializations in public and nonprofit management, public finance and budgeting, urban planning and policy, as well as public policy analysis.”
As an expert in urban policy, Liu’s research focuses on community and economic development, the urban labor market, and the international urban development. She has published extensively on these areas within the context of changing urban spatial form, economic processes and demographic dynamics.
Liu’s expertise has yielded several editorial appointments. She is a current managing editor of the Journal of Urban Affairs. She also serves as associate editor for two other journals, Economic Development Quarterly and Regional Studies, Regional Science.
Liu is enthusiastic about using her extensive knowledge in this next phase of her tenure at the Andrew Young School.
“I look forward to working with our faculty, students, alumni and friends to further strengthen our excellence in policy research, teaching, and community engagement locally, nationally and globally,” she said.
For more information on how the Andrew Young School is transforming public policy, visit aysps.gsu.edu/.
Featured Faculty

Cathy Yang Liu
Professor & Chair
Public Management & Policy
Cathy Yang Liu is the Department Chair and a Professor of Public Policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University. She received her Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She serves as the faculty director for the Urban Planning and Policy concentration in bachelor, master, and Ph.D. in public policy degree programs and as faculty advisor for the Graduate Certificate in Planning and Economic Development.